Lazy Saturday

Nothing special today..... ran some errands and made it a lazy Saturday. I did however find out that chobani has recipes on their website which is pretty awesome! You can add the unflavored Greek yogurt into recipes because it has a similar texture to certain foods and you can't tell the difference plus it has the extra protein so it's a win - win..... you should check it out if you'd like some fresh ideas =D

I also was looking at my cookbooks so I could get ideas for when I start switching back to food and I completely forgot about my Deceptively Delicious cook book by Jessica Seinfeld. It's altered towards feeding kids and getting more nutrients in by adding purees to foods so that the taste is masked but that you still have the good stuff =) There are some really good recipes in there that I will try out when I get to the soft and regular food stage and will post the outcomes. I think it's not just for kids but really smart for WLS peoples and people trying to add more good things into their diet. It's a creative way to add vegetables and fruits to your diet besides just eating them plain. The only thing I don't like is that it doesn't give you the nutritional information but that is easy enough to find on the internet with recipe making programs such as this one from sparkpeople.com

this is a sample recipe from her book: ( taken from her site )

Macaroni and Cheese 1

With Butternut Squash or Cauliflower

Prep time: 5 minutes, Total time: 25 minutes
Serves 4

ingredients

1 1⁄2 cups	elbow macaroni
	Nonstick cooking spray
1 tbsp	olive oil
1 tbsp	all-purpose flour
1⁄2 cup	nonfat (skim) milk
1⁄2 cup	butternut squash or cauliflower puree
1 1⁄2 cups	shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (about 8 ounces)
4 oz	(almost 1 ⁄4 cup) reduced-fat or nonfat cream cheese
1⁄2 tsp	salt
1⁄8 tsp	paprika
1⁄8 tsp	pepper

directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the macaroni, and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain in a colander.
2. While the macaroni is cooking, coat a large saucepan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the oil, then the flour, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture resembles a thick paste but has not browned, 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Add the milk and cook, stirring every now and then, until the mixture begins to thicken, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the vegetable puree, Cheddar, cream cheese, and seasonings, and stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Stir in the macaroni and serve warm.

Joy:

“This is a great source of calcium: one portion provides
a full serving—the equivalent of one cup of milk.
And because it uses lowfat cheese, kids get all that great
calcium without the saturated fat of the traditional recipe.”

I've been searching for many a recipe for when I start eating again because I don't want to stick with your standard meat- veggie- potato set up for dinner (or something similar). I want variety and I love to cook and bake and find new ways of doing something...... so that being said it is something else I will be venturing with and sharing on here =)

I really want to make something right now but since I still have 6 days of liquids left I feel like I would be torturing myself too much lol